Monday, September 03, 2007

Back from the 'Bend, but I'm still choking on the dust from Saturday's demolition. I knew in the back of my mind this was in fact going to be a rebuilding year, but I guess I was thinking something more on the order of a living room remodel, not knocking down all four walls with a Wreck-ing ball.

While I'm breaking out the respirator, here's a bit from the SBT that points to the core issue of the day:

[Tech defensive end Adamm] Oliver often peered across the line of scrimmage and saw waves of uncertainty roll through an Irish offense that ran through three different quarterbacks, none of whom he believed played with much confidence.

"You could tell they were very uncomfortable and we were coming after them every play," Oliver said. "I don't think they were very quick with their reads. We had them all messed up."

If Jamal Lewis wasn't racing in from his safety spot for one of his team-high eight tackles, linebacker Phillip Wheeler was creating havoc underneath as defensive lineman Darrell Robertson was having his way with an inexperienced Irish offensive line.

Robertson admitted that as the game wore on, Tech defenders started a competition amongst themselves about who would make the next big hit. There were many takers.

"The person who doesn't get it next was the one being ragged on," said Robertson, who finished with six tackles and 1.5 sacks. "We had to handle business and then start having fun out there."